Always Remember Me
by ILoveSmallFonts
Summary: ‘Hi! I’m Sakura. I’m a new student at Konoha High and I have amnesia.’ They say memory is the diary that we all carry around with us, but what if that diary is taken away? To top it all off, she has a freak going after her. What a life! AU SasuSaku
1. Hello, Konoha High!

**Always Remember Me**

**A/N:** My first story…I'm scared and nervous but excited. Anyway, you might find Sakura's last name weird, but it's for the story. I just wanted to clear that up. I hope you like it! Also, I'd like to thank my main beta, Kat, who shares this account with me, and Caramel Crazy, my grammar and punctuation beta (thank you, thank you, I know you don't normally do anime fics.)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or its characters, and possibly never will. Also, in the summary, the quote (_'They say memory…'_) belongs to Oscar Wilde in 'The Importance of Being Earnest".

**Summary:** '_Hi! I'm Sakura. I'm a new student at Konoha High…and I have amnesia.'_ They say memory is the diary that we all carry around with us, but what if that diary is taken away? To top it all off, she has a freak going after her. What a life! (AU, SasuSaku)

**Chapter One: Hello, Konoha High!  
**

"And now, we have a new student, so please make her welcome," I heard the teacher's voice on the other side of the door. "Don't frighten her off the minute she enters. She has amnesia, too, but don't make fun of her. That means you," here I think he pointed at someone "and the rest of you."

I cringed at his mention of my memory loss. It's not exactly something I want to flaunt in public. I nervously brushed away a strand of my unusually pink hair.

Okay, here I am in Konoha High (School of Excellence and Superiority, but no one really calls it that.) I'm a transferee here, and Kakashi-sensei, my homeroom teacher, kind of gave everything that anyone needs to know about me.

After knocking gently on the door, I pushed it open and got my first glimpse at the class and the teacher. They were all quite different from each other – one with red marks on his face, another with sunglasses on - but all focusing on one person: me.

I've practiced for this. I can do this. I'm not making a fool of myself and forever label myself as the 'Girl Who Can't Introduce Herself to Save Her Life' in my new school. I've had enough of that.

All right… breathe, Sakura, breathe. You can do this.

Oh, god. I forgot it was so hard to introduce yourself to a bunch of people you don't know. Well, I've forgotten a lot of things ever since the car accident, so whatever. I subconsciously put a hand in my pocket and felt for my stone. It was my sort of comfort blanket. I always felt safe with it.

I don't think I've felt this nervous for a long time. It feels like every eye is on me. Why can't anyone look away? I turn my head to look at the teacher, Hatake Kakashi, and he raises his eyebrow as if to say, "Well, what are you waiting for?" Gulping, I took a deep breath and started.

"Hi," my voice squeaked a little. Darn, I'm not letting anyone think I'm weak! I held my stone tighter and made my voice louder.

"Hi, I'm Kaimi Sakura! I'm really happy and psyched to be here at Konoha High!" I gave the class a wide, forced smile. I hope I didn't blind them.

"Thank you, Sakura. A very nice introduction, I should say. Please take your seat." I flushed a little at his comment.

"Oi!" said a boy loudly, breaking the silence. "Sit here Sakura-chan, dattebayo!" He waved his right hand vigorously and pointed to the seat beside him. I took a tentative step towards him – he seemed friendly enough. I glanced at Kakashi-sensei.

"Well, it seems like you've got a volunteer. Go on, Sakura," Kakashi-sensei told me. Slowly, I released my death grip on the stone and walked towards the 'volunteer.'

I shyly slipped into my seat, and got a good look at the boy. He had spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and muscular - but his most distinguishing feature was his smile. It set me at ease at once, almost exactly like the stone does.

"Welcome to Konoha High, Sakura-chan! I'm Naruto, dattebayo!" He gave me a cheeky grin as he pointed his thumb to himself. "And that's teme!" Naruto jabbed his thumb behind him. I looked over his head and saw a boy glaring at Naruto.

"I have a name, you dobe," he growled. I studied him intently. He had black hair and black eyes, and his eyes had a kind of intensity that I couldn't name, but it wasn't the cold kind. Overall, better-looking than any guy I've met.

… I seem to be observing a bit too much today.

Naruto smiled mischievously at him before turning back to me and saying, "I meant Sasuke-teme."

"Well, hi Naruto, Sasuke," I gave a little wave. Naruto smiled again, and Sasuke gave a tiny nod in my direction showing that he acknowledged my presence.

At least I had some people I knew.

* * *

'_Hmm, so my locker number is…wait, what IS my locker number? Oh yeah, 343. Well, that's 340, so that's 341, 342, aaand…343! Yes! Here it-'_

Oof! I accidentally bumped into the girl whose locker was next to mine and fell down, books and all.

She gasped audibly. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" She helped me up and smiled at me apologetically.

"No, it's my fault, I should have looked where I was going," I told her. Looking back at her and smiling, I noticed she has brown hair tied into 2 buns. She bears quite a strong resemblance to a panda.

…That's a compliment, mind you. Pandas are quite cute.

After I had gotten my locker opened (number 6-32-11-20! I'm s proud of myself, I didn't forget!) I turned to face the girl again. She was looking at me intently. I blinked at her, and she laughed after realizing what she did.

"I'm sorry! It's just that I've never seen you around here before. New here?"

"Yup."

"I'm Tenten, and you are…?"

"Sakura, Kaimi Sakura." Introducing myself isn't so bad after doing it the first time.

"Oh, you're the new girl in homeroom!" She flashed a grin at me. "Well, nice to meet you, Sa-"

"TEEENTEEEEN! DARLING! HI!" a loud voice, which almost surely belonged to a girl, called. We turned and I saw a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes walking down the hallway and waving vigorously. It makes me wonder whether or not she's related to Naruto.

She stopped in front of us. "Who's the pink girl?"

Tenten sighed. "It's not very polite to do that, Ino, how many times have I told you not to do that. And she has a name, not Pink Girl. It's Kaimi Sakura, and she just transferred schools. You know, the girl at homeroom?"

"Oh, okay then! Hi, Sakura! I'm Yamanaka Ino – the prettiest girl in this whole school! And it's a big school, mind you."

A girl with clear white eyes popped up next to Ino. "P-please d-don't mind her, S-sakura-san, she's a-always l-like that," she stuttered. Tenten gave her a smile.

"Hey Hina-chan, this is Sakura. But you probably know already – everyone in the whole planet's heard Ino's declaration of self-presidency." She added the last part in a low voice, but Ino heard and smacked Tenten's head playfully. Hinata and I giggled.

"Sakura, this is Hyuuga Hinata," Ino introduced. "She's mine and Tenten's friend."

Hinata gave me a tiny wave. She sure was shy, but she seems nice.

We started talking about random stuff when the bell rang noisily again. We covered our ears again. I hate that bell.

"Hey, what's your next class?" Ino asked. "I've got History. Ugh."

"Me too, but what's wrong with History?" I frowned in confusion.

"The teacher is scary_and_ boring, Sakura. Now don't ask me how that's possible. In any case, I've got History too," Tenten told me.

"S-so d-do I," Hinata stuttered, yet again.

"Well, let's get going!"

* * *

Ebisu-sensei really _is_ boring and scary. He kept droning on, and on, and on…but he has this manic gleam in his eye that kind of says (at least to me), "If you sleep, I'll eat your brain for breakfast!" Ugggh, creepy.

He began to write something on the board. Something about the Civil War, I think. Ino leaned closer to me and whispered softly (as softly as someone like Ino could, at least), "Pssst! Sakura!"

"Over there at the back! Keep quiet and copy what's on the blackboard!" Ebisu-sensei said snappishly. He didn't even turn around to look. What a scary guy. Teachers like that should be illegal.

"What do you want, Ino?" I hissed.

"Just wanted to know what school you used to go to," she said in hushed tones, so Ebisu-sensei couldn't hear.

She interrupted me for that? I was about to ignore her, but she had this really eager look on her face that I couldn't say no to.

"Oh. I went to Kunai Public School. It closed, though, they ran out of money. You probably haven't heard of it, it's quite a small school, unlike here in Konoha High School of Excellence and Superiority," here she raised an eyebrow at me. I don't think Ino has heard of this version of the school name yet.

I quickly added, "Oops, sorry – I'm so used to calling the school that name that I subconsciously use it whenever I speak. Sorry. Anyway, back to what I was saying - I never stood out there, or make any friends." Yes, even with pink hair. Ino looked at me sympathetically.

"Well, we all have our moments. Anyway, do you want to come over to my dorm? Ten-chan, Hina-chan, and I will be there at 5:00, we're going to have some random girl talk that maniac teachers like Ebisu-sensei try to stop us from having," Ino made a face. I laughed at her, but I do agree.

"Okay, my dorm is #122, what's yours?"

"#125, just 3 doors away."

"See you then. I have to finish copying-" I paused. Ino was making a strangled noise and pointing frantically above. I slowly turned my head. A shadow hung over us.

"Yamanaka! Kaimi! Copy, now!" Ebisu-sensei was towering over us with an intimidating glare. We squeaked in response and hurriedly went back to copying.

Geez. What a class!

* * *

I lounged out in my dorm while waiting for the time to pass and reach 5:00. The bed's really soft, unlike the one in my apartment. My apartment is really tiny, and has only three rooms: one living room, which serves as dining room and kitchen too, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Oh well, it's what I have, and I survive. Looking at the clock, it was 4:20. 40 minutes to go. I sigh and think about the day's events.

I had first day jitters, I admit that much. Can you believe I memorized the entire student handbook so I wouldn't get into trouble with the teachers? I can recite each section, word for word now. But I don't really need it. Excluding some teachers (_cough_ maniac-Ebisu-sensei_cough_), I like everyone fine.

Oh, and I'm really glad I made friends. In Kunai, I didn't have anyone to eat with, share notes with, or laugh about my stupid mistakes with. It's awful being a loner. Maybe everyone thought I was, oh, I don't know, some kind of a freak because I had amnesia. I have a feeling they're friendlier in here, though.

What would I have done if I hadn't bumped into Tenten today?

I checked the clock on the wall again - it was 4:50. Changing out of my uniform, I decided to wear a white tank top and pink skirt and slipped on some flats.

"I'd better head off to Ino's now."

**A/N: **Did you like it? Was it too short or long? Please R and R, and thanks for reading!


	2. Introductions

**Always Remember Me  
**

**A/N: **Hi, and welcome to another chapter of Always Remember Me. Enjoy reading and don't forget to review! Reviews always make my day.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or its characters, and possibly never will. Also, in the summary, the quote (_'They say memory…'_) belongs to Oscar Wilde in 'The Importance of Being Earnest".

**Summary:** '_Hi! I'm Sakura. I'm a new student at Konoha High…and I have amnesia.'_ They say memory is the diary that we all carry around with us, but what if that diary is taken away? To top it all off, she has a freak going after her. What a life! (AU, SasuSaku)

**Chapter Two: Introductions**

When I arrived at dorm #125 the girls were already spread out around Ino's dorm. Tenten was passing around some chips and Ino was bringing out some diet soda. They greeted me as I entered.

"Hey, Sakura!" Tenten waved from her position on Ino's bed.

"H-hi, S-sakura-san," Hinata said. She was seated on the beanbag.

"Come on in, Sakura! I'm afraid Tenten's gotten the bed and Hinata's taken the beanbag, so you'll have to make do with my desk chair. Sorry," Ino apologized.

"No problem, Ino!" I said and took my seat. "Want some chips?" Tenten held out the bag. I gratefully took some.

Once we were all settled down, Ino began, "So, Sakura."

"Mmhmm?"

"Would you like me to start with the teachers or the students?"

"Huh?" What the heck was she talking about?

I must have had a funny expression on my face because Hinata started giggling.

"Ino means you choose which one you want to know about first. You can say she knows almost everything about anything that goes around this school. You'll need it, seeing as you just came here. She did that with me and Hina-chan too, when we were just new students here." Tenten explained.

"Oh, well that's nice of her. Teachers, I guess." Well, safest choice!

Ino closed her eyes and shifted into a crossed legs position. All that was missing was a turban, and she could pass off as a fortune teller.

"Kakashi," she said suddenly. "Hatake Kakashi is our homeroom teacher, as all of us know; most of the time – well, _all_ the time actually – he's late for class, but we don't really mind. It gives us a chance to talk, do our forgotten homework, stuff like that.

"Don't forget his mask, Ino," Tenten added.

"Oh, yeah – his mask, I almost forgot!" Ino snapped her fingers. Why do people do that when they remember stuff, anyway? Well, whatever – back to what I was saying.

"They say," Ino began, with a silly grin on her face, "that Kakashi-sensei looks really _hot _without his mask on. He never takes it off, but Naruto always gets Sasuke to help him try to take it off. They've never succeeded, of course.

"I _do_ want to see him with his mask off," Ino sighed dreamily. Tenten smacked her on the head. "No time for your silly fantasies, Ino."

"He's the guy with the adult book – that Icha Icha thing, right?" I asked. I hoped I was right, I didn't want to sound like I didn't know anything.

"Yup," - thank God - "and speaking of guy, I'll tell you about Maitou Gai next. He's our P.E. teacher. He kind of totally violates the dress code, because he wears a green spandex, but the admin doesn't care. He has amazing stamina, no doubt, that's why he's such a good P.E. teacher. Well, he has this nice guy pose. It's his signature thing. He is also in love with youth, and with Tenten."

"What!" Tenten shrieked and made a move to hit Ino.

"I'm kidding, Ten-chan, loosen up!" Ino laughed as she danced out of Tenten's clawing fingers.

"Erm, youth?" I clarified. Is it humanly possible to be obsessed with youth?

"Yes, youth! Like this…" Ino cleared her throat dramatically, "Tenten, my youthful blooming flower! That was a very youthful kick you did!" And she raised one hand in a thumbs-up, along with a cheesy grin, demonstrating the nice-guy pose.

"That _wasn't _funny," Tenten protested.

"Oh, but it was!" exclaimed Ino, laughing hysterically at what she had just done, even Sakura couldn't stop herself; Hinata just let out a few giggles.

"Right then," Ino began, once they had all calmed down, "Next is Ebisu-sensei; no one knows much about him, except that he's creepy and boring. Then, there's Yuuhi Kurenai-sensei, who teaches Home Economics; she's really pretty and has these nice crimson eyes. Sarutobi Asuma-sensei, he's in charge of science."

"He keeps telling us to 'Take care of yourselves, kids, you don't know what's coming up on the streets these days. One minute you could be listening to Fall Down Man or whatever you kids listen to these days and the next you're choking and getting convulsions.' Such a hypocrite, really, he tells us that and he chain smokes," Tenten rolled her eyes.

"…and he's rumoured to have a relationship wth Kurenai-sensei. It's so _romantic," _Ino latched on.

"D-don't forget A-anko-sensei, Ino-chan," Hinata reminded her.

"Oh, right!" There goes the finger snapping! "Thanks. So Mitarashi Anko-sensei teaches Chemistry. She's pretty good, except that she has an affinity with throwing pointy objects."

"Throwing pointy objects?"

"Yes, Especially at Naruto."

I grinned as I remembered the loud but well-meaning blonde, and imagining our teacher chucking sharp projectiles at him.

Ino went on about the other teachers, explaining about the staff to me with Hinata and Tenten commenting on or adding some thing every now and then. These people really do know almost everything about anything in the school.

"All right, Sakura! We're done – with the teachers, at least," Ino grinned at me.

"And if you thought that was long, then think again, because we have a much longer list of students than the teachers – definitely," Tenten laughed.

"Let's start with Inuzuka Kiba – he's a dog guy, and what most people don't know about him is that he keeps a dog in his room, named Akamaru."

"But…" I said hesitantly, "I thought we weren't allowed to keep pets, according to Section 45 Number 3 of the student handbook?"

Oh, darn – not again. I can't help mentioning the student handbook. They glanced at me curiously, but didn't press on and continued.

"Well, yeah, but we don't really mind, and his dog doesn't cause that much trouble – it's so cute, actually. Anyway, another weird thing about Kiba is that he ahs two red marks on his face; we tried to ask him what it was but he never really told us.

"Next we have Aburame Shino; we don't really know that much about him, except that he has this creepy aura which I can't really explain. After Shino is Neji – Hyuuga Neji – he's-"

"Hey, isn't Hyuuga Hinata's last name?" I interrupted.

"Yes, Sakura, I was just getting to that, actually."

"Oh, sorry…"

"It's alright. So, he's Hina-chan's cousin, but he's also known as the Hyuuga prodigy. He's a real ice cube, and he doesn't really talk a lot. Mysterious, actually…" her voice trailed off.

It is only in this sad world that ice cubes and Hinata are related.

"OH!" Ino said suddenly, "Tenten, oh my gosh, I just remembered that I forgot our Math books at the caf."

"What? How could you be so forgetful, Ino-pig? Well, I'll go get them," Tenten replied.

"Thanks, Tennie!"

"Don't call me that!" Tenten snapped playfully, and left the dorm.

"Okay, where were we? Oh yeah. Neji is also Ten-chan's long-time crush! She's liked him ever since they…well, we, really…were small."

That's so absolutely sweet and romantic! A fiery girl having a major crush on a mysterious ice cube! You could make millions out of a movie of that.

"I-is t-that w-why you t-told Ten-chan t-to g-et the M-math b-books?" Hinata asked softly.

"Well, of course Hinata. You don't want your amazingly pretty and beautiful best friend to die, do you?" I assume Tenten doesn't like her crush aired out in public.

"Ino, the books aren't there!" Tenten thundered as she barged into the dorm.

"What? Really? Wait, let me check…" Ino feigned surprise as she checked the door, "Oh. They were here all along…er, sorry, Ten-chan."

"Ino…" Tenten's voice trailed off, as flames popped out of nowhere, "Do you know how far a walk the caf is from here?" Ino squeaked. "No? Well, it's really, really far." She took a step forward. "DIE!"

"P-please, Ten-chan, d-don't kill Ino!" Hinata cried.

"Yes, don't kill me!" Ino said pleadingly. "I'm too young and beautiful to die! Noooo!" I looked on in amusement as Tenten proceeded to verbally assault the blonde.

Tenten's killer aura disappeared soon after, and we all calmed down.

"Moving on, there's Rock Lee. He really stands out because of his unique appearance – green spandex, bushy eyebrows, big eyes, bowl cut, just like his idol, Gai-sensei. He thinks Gai's a god, and also constantly talks about youth. He's pretty nice, I guess.

"Next is the fat, chubby, healthy, plump, stout, over-eating, food-stealing pig called Akimichi Chouji."

"Don't forget obese!" Tenten put in.

"Erm…is he really that fat?" I asked.

"Well, no, I suppose. He is round, though, and…fat," Ino finished lamely. "Whatever! I won't forget Nara Shikamaru. He's Chouji's best friend and they like watching clouds together. He is the…" Ino searched for a word, "the _epitome _of laziness. Insults just slide off him like water. He's smart too. It's just too bad his mantra is 'troublesome'."

"Right, next is – I mean, are – the Sand Siblings: Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara; they're transfer students, like you, except that they're from another country. Then, we have Uzumaki Naruto; everyone likes him, he's pretty much the all-around guy. He's friends with Sasuke too, and that's a feat, even though all you see them do is fight."

"N-naruto-kun l-likes ramen v-very m-much," Hinata said.

"Yes, she's right, and he says dattebayo a lot. Lastly, there's Uchiha Sasuke. Everybody thinks he's cool, because he _is_," here Ino sighed dreamily, very much like what she did with Kakashi, "and he's sort of like a celebrity in our school. Sasuke's the 'Most popular guy' and all that jazz. The president of his fan club, Karin, will kill you if she sees you communicating in any way with him. She seems harmless, but she does _stuff_ and few do dare to try and muster up enough courage to talk to him."

"The guy has a _fan club_?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah! You have to admit he's cute. I think every girl save for one or two have had a crush on him, some more than others," Ino said.

"Well, you're right. His hair can be considered nice, if you don't mind the chicken resemblance. But his eyes are the nicest, I guess. They're a really pretty shade of black and deep and you know. Overall, you can say he's kind of handsome-" I stopped when I realized I was rambling. The other girls were looking at me and wisely nodding.

"I don't have to be a brain surgeon to say that you're at least a tiny bit attracted to him," Tenten said knowingly. I bit back the urge to say the same thing about her about Neji.

"I'm not!" I just said defiantly. I don't like him, he's just cute and – never mind.

"Uh-huh," Ino said dubiously. "Anyway, moving on - you know who we are, but we don't know much about you, except that your name is Sakura and your family name is Kaimi, and you transferred from Kunai Public School which is-" Ino pretty much memorized everything I told her about my school. She was probably gathering information when she was asking me about my life. The girl must be good at memorizing all this gossip.

I'm getting a teensy bit afraid, actually.

She finally finished her monologue. "Right, so we know only that, but nothing else! It's your turn to introduce yourself to us." Hinata, Ino, and Tenten smiled at me.

Well, what' the harm in doing it?

"I'm Kaimi Sakura, as you know," I began. "I had amnesia seven years ago in a car accident. My parents are dead because of that. I don't know any of my relatives, which is why instead of living with them, I live alone in my apartment. I've survived all these years from funding from the government, and I have a part-time job as a waitress." I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

Ino, Tenten, and Hinata looked at me gravely. There was a brief silence.

"S-so, you d-don't r-remember a-anything at all?"

"Well, I do remember my first name – Sakura. The doctor gave me a temporary last name to use for the moment. I…I also remember this boy I used to play with, when I was really small, who gave me a stone before he moved away." The stone in my pocket felt warm against my leg, suddenly.

"D-do y-you still h-have the stone, S-sakura-chan?" questioned Hinata.

"Of course I do. It was found in the pocket of the jeans I was wearing during the accident. I carry it everywhere I go – it's the only remnant of the past I have left," I said. I took it out of my pocket and showed it to them.

**A/N: **There! I hope it didn't suck too much. But sucky or not, reeevieeeeeew! Pleeease? With chocolate on top?

Thanks for reading!


	3. Lost and Lost Again

**Always Remember Me  
**

**A/N: **…Hello! Many thanks to the people who favorited, alerted, and reviewed (…no comment). This chapter gets a little confusing, and I'm not sure if I did the emotion-thing properly. Oh well, I can't have everything…

After you read, as always, review, review, review! Please? See, I'm asking _nicely._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or its characters, and possibly never will. Also, in the summary, the quote (_'They say memory…'_) belongs to Oscar Wilde in 'The Importance of Being Earnest".

**Summary:** '_Hi! I'm Sakura. I'm a new student at Konoha High…and I have amnesia.'_ They say memory is the diary that we all carry around with us, but what if that diary is taken away? To top it all off, she has a freak going after her. What a life! (AU, SasuSaku)

**Chapter Three: Lost and Lost Again**

_Two children were happily playing in a sandbox in the playground. They just finished putting the last turret of the sandcastle they were building._

"_It looks…it looks awesome!" the boy said with a proud smile at his choice of words._

"_Yep!" the girl agreed happily._

"_Honey! It's time to go now!" the boy's mother's voice called out._

"_Aw! Do you really, really, really have to go now? We just built our castle that we're prince and princess of!" the girl pouted and folded her arms over her chest._

"_Yeah, I do, and I can't come to play anymore," the boy answered sadly._

_He watched mournfully as a horrified expression crossed the girl's face. "What!" she exclaimed, tears forming in her green eyes, "Why not? I won't have anyone to play with anymore, and I'll miss you very, very, VERY much." The girl brushed away the droplets from her eyes and stared at him as fiercely as a child could._

"_I'll miss you very, very, VERY much too!" he said, "But I'll give you this stone. See, isn't it pretty? Like you," he flushed as he said this and pushed the stone into her hands. _

"_Well," she answered, untying her red hair ribbon, "I'll keep it forever and forever and forever-ever! But keep my ribbon so one day when we meet again, we'll know we're friends!"_

"_Deal! This way, no matter what happens, I'll always remember you, and you'll always remember me."_

"Always remember me," I whispered as I stared at the stone.

"Hm? Did you say something, Sakura?" Ino asked.

"What?" I broke away from my trance. "No. Sorry, I just zoned out while looking at the stone. Don't mind me." She gave me a knowing look but dropped the issue.

Tenten reached for the stone and examined it closely. "It's so…so…"

"So what?" I asked defiantly. No way is anyone going to insult MY stone.

"No! I wasn't going to insult it. I meant more like, it's so…"

"Small?" Ino offered. I gave her a dirty look and she gave me a sheepish smile.

"N-no, it's n-not r-really s-small, i-it's m-medium, k-kind of," Hinata defended me.

"It has a sort of bluish thing to it," Ino added, bringing the stone closer to her eyes.

"The person who gave this to you probably likes blue a lot. You don't find a lot of blue rocks anywhere," Tenten concluded. She handed it back to me and I pocketed it.

"S-Sakura?" Hinata began. I nodded at her.

"I-I a-am s-sorry, b-but I'm r-really c-curious – is it h-hard t-to l-live w-without your p-parents?" I started a little at that, and Ino and Tenten flashed me concerned looks.

"Y-you d-don't h-have t-to answer! I-if y-you don't w-want to th-that is, I j-just wanted to-" Hinata explained, flustered.

I started laugh and she stopped. "It's fine." She sighed in relief. I thought a little about her question and answered.

"I guess…" I started hesitantly, "there's a fine line between living without your parents, but you still have a memory of them, and living without your parents not even knowing who they are in the first place."

The three girls nodded as one and motioned for me to continue.

"Imagine, now: It's the first day of school, and you're alone, obviously, because you don't have parents at all. Everywhere you look, you can see a mother kissing the cheek of your classmate good luck, or a father thumping his kid's back and saying, 'You'll make your dad proud, kid.' Now, if I was the first kind of kid, I would be reliving the memories of the days of when my parents were alive or with me, and how I wished they were here, or whatever, and feel sad. But at least, I have a memory.

"Now," I said wryly, "if you were _me_, you feel sad, but you don't remember anything at all. You can't relive the memories of the days of when your parents were alive or with you, for the simple reason that you just _can't_. And it makes you feel this kind of emptiness that just wants to be fulfilled. It's a dull ache – not sharp, just there, every single day, and you can't do anything about it." Subconsciously, my hand went up to wipe a stray tear on my eye.

There was an uncomfortable silence after my monologue. I think I said everything I'd been bottling up inside of me for the past seven years.

I looked at my friends. Hinata was on the verge of crying, Tenten looked at me with sad eyes, and Ino was shifting from foot to foot. They all looked so uncomfortable.

And then, for the second time this day, I laughed out loud. They all seemed startled by the sudden noise.

Ino smiled weakly. "Do you laugh at random a lot?"

We all giggled at that, and a cheery atmosphere reigned in the room again.

"Stop thinking about me," I said, the last of the giggles still in me, "and let's talk about school. Speaking of which, will we have classes tomorrow? Some schools do."

They gave me horrified looks. "Of course not!" they cried in unison.

"We spend six days cooped up in a school with teachers and never ending lessons. Some teachers are maniacs, and some lessons just don't want to stick on your head," Ino

shook her head dramatically.

"I do think we hardworking students deserve some kind of rest from this hectic, motley bunch of crazy days," Tenten finished, just as dramatically as Ino.

Hinata and I giggled at their antics. Once they'd settled down, Tenten flopped on the bed and faced me, saying:

"You can also go back home, if you'd like."

That's a fun system. I would enjoy it more if I actually had a nice home to go back to.

"Do you guys go back home?" I asked them curiously.

"Y-yes, all the t-time," Hinata answered.

"Are you going home, too, Sakura?" Ino asked me. I shook my head.

"Nah, I think I'll just stay here. It's no use staying home and rotting away from being bored."

They nodded at the same time. "It doesn't matter, anyway – Sasuke and company always stay here.

"Who exactly is 'company'?" I asked.

"Er…the guys, basically."

"Well, anyways, I need to go now – homework and all," I made a face. "Bye!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

"B-bye."

* * *

"_Sakura! Come here, darling, mommy has something for you!" said a tall woman with pink hair._

"_Okay mommy!" Sakura ran towards her with her arms wide open and then-_

"HEY PINKY, GET THE HELL OFFA YOUR BED!" my alarm clock screamed.

Oh, damn! I set the alarm accidentally last night.

Well, there's no use going back to sleep, my annoying alarm successfully jolted all the sleepiness away. Hurrah.

And so begins my morning routine. After fixing the bed, brushing my teeth, showering, changing clothes, and fixing my hair, I am all set and ready to go.

…Um, where exactly should I go?

I guess I'll look around the school today. What is there to do in here anyway?

Yanking the door open, I stepped out and collided with something solid and fell. I looked up and almost fainted.

The raven eyes of Uchiha Sasuke were boring down on me. I bumped him! Accidentally, but will that matter because the fact remains that _I bumped him!_ Oh my god…will he kill me? Wait, no – will Karin kill me?

"Ah! Sorry Sakura-chan dattebayo! I don't think Sasuke was looking where he was going, but he's too proud to say so, so just accept my apology!" Naruto grinned brightly.

Sasuke huffed and stuck out his hand. I stared at it. He huffed again. "It's commonly known that the hand extended in help to you-"

"-is to be taken and accepted with gratitude. Yes, I know – page 46 point number 2 of Social Etiquette." He raised his eyebrow at me. Well, he's not the only one who memorizes stuff in this school! I smiled faintly at him, took his hand and he righted me when I wobbled as I stood. "Thank you."

I noticed Naruto giving him a knowing glance. Wonder what's up with that.

I got a good look at the people Naruto was with – all guys. Obviously, the nearest one to me was Sasuke. Next to him, wearing green spandex, is Lee, of course, hard to miss with his kind of hair. Then Kiba (he has red marks on his face! You see, I learned from the crash course from the girls!); Chouji (…no comment); Shikamaru (troublesome!); Neji (white eyes, dude – it's about as distinguishing as my pink hair); and Shino. Well, he's the only one left.

I suddenly feel itchy all over.

Shikamaru gave a fleeting glance at Sasuke (what is it with Sasuke and glances…) and turned to me. "You're the new girl. I remember when _I _was new…it was troublesome. At least I had friends, though." He reverted to his lazy pose.

"I do _so _have friends," I replied tersely. "Hinata, Ino, and Tenten." Neji started a little at Tenten's name.

…This is _big news._

"Well, I guess you know my name, right?"

"Yes, of course! Sakura, what a youthful name!" Lee exclaimed. We all winced.

"…Hn."

"Mhrmmhrmm," was all I got from Chouji. I assume it's difficult to greet someone while stuffing chips into your mouth at lightning speed at the same time.

"You aren't going back home like the rest of the girls?" Kiba asked me.

"Nah, I think I want to walk around the campus a bit today."

We started walking, and they resumed the conversation that they had before I – ahem – bumped Sasuke.

"Yeah, about the news last night. Remember those two scientists that died a few years ago in an accident?" Kiba asked.

"What scientists?" I questioned curiously.

"You don't tell me you don't know?" Neji said incredulously. "It was all over the news. The supposed car accident was not an accident, but murder, apparently."

"That's awful!" I cried. Lee and Shino nodded at me in agreement.

"Well, who wouldn't want to kill them, the person who did it probably wanted to get his hands on the elixir of everlasting life or whatever that they were developing," Shikamaru shrugged.

"Everlasting life?" I asked again, this time a bit ashamed that I wasn't able to keep up with the news.

"Yes." We all started – it was Sasuke who answered. "Everlasting life. It's supposed to make you immortal in some way." He rolled his eyes. It_is _quite hard to believe something like that could exist, anyway.

Well, whatever. It's a day off, I shouldn't be thinking so much.

* * *

"Did you find her yet, Kabuto?" Orochimaru's slithering voice came from the other side of the room. He walked silently towards him.

"No, not yet. I sent Sakon and Ukon to look for her," Kabuto replied smoothly, giving away no fear.

"How is it so difficult that you need to send them _both?_" Orochimaru hissed, and at this Kabuto winced a little. "She has pink hair and is the daughter of two known scientists. _She has pink hair._ Am I working with fools now?"

"I need more time, Orochimaru," Kabuto bristled slightly at his comment.

"You have two weeks," he hissed softly back, "_two weeks. _I need the object desperately. Two weeks and nothing more."

* * *

"SASUKE-KUUUUN!!!"

"MAAAARRY MEEEEEEE!!!"

"What the-"

"SAAAAAASUKEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

"Ouch, damnit, get the _hell _off me!" I snapped at one girl.

"OH MY GOD IT'S HIM!!!"

"GET HIM GIRLS!!!"

There was a little scuffle, a large cloud of dust, and then…

…Peace.

Lovely. Brushing nonexistent dirt off my sleeve, I am a proud survivor of a fangirl ambush-attempted murder. Hurrah.

Well, I guess I'm on my own right now. Where should I go? There or there?

* * *

"Sakon, is this the school?"

"I'm positive, Ukon. Our target is a pink haired girl. Not very hard to find, I should think."

* * *

Well, this is just amazing! I'm at the main entrance right now, lost and being jostled by random people…great. Oh, who are those 2 people there? I can't see them…damn this sunlight.

* * *

Ukon stopped suddenly and stared at a girl. "Hey Sakon, look, _pink hair!_" he hissed.

"I think that's her!" Sakon replied triumphantly.

* * *

They don't look like they're from around these parts…why are they looking in my direction?

* * *

"She's looking right at us, Ukon, what the hell do we do?"

"We go straight up to her looking suave and innocent, Sakon," Ukon replied seriously.

* * *

Maybe I should run…but then they'll probably just run after me…oh what do I do what do I do what do I do…

* * *

"We better hurry now, Ukon, or she'll run away and we'll miss our chance."

"Let's get cracking."

* * *

It looks like they're coming closer! What do they want from me, damn it! Okay, stay calm, everything will be all right. I'm in my happy place. My happy place. Happy…place…happy…oh my god, they're here.

* * *

"Excuse me! Come on Ukon!"

"What do you want?" asked a girl with pink hair and dark brown eyes.

"Are both your parents still alive?" Sakon demanded. She looked at him frostily.

"Are both of you from a mental hospital?" the pink haired girl retorted. They both looked highly affronted. "Why should I answer you? It's a stupid question."

"Because if you don't, you're coming with us."

"What the – hey, am I on Punk'd? Where's Ashton? Or are you guys just rapists? Well damn you – hey, let go of me, freak! I'm a black belt in karate!"

"Oh, would you shut up? Can you just answer our damned question?" Ukon said in frustration.

"My parents are alive, fine, well, and would definitely be kicking you right now if they saw what you're doing to me, you freak!" she screeched at them both. They winced at the volume of her voice.

They stared at each other. She had pink hair, but her parents were alive. Should they believe her or not?

Luckily, she made their decision for them by biting both their hands. They yelped loudly and let go.

She gave them one last icy glare and stomped off in the other direction. They sighed.

"We lost another trail _again._"

* * *

"Hey, do you need anything? You look a little lost," a man with a lined face asked her. He stood upright and dignified, but you never know who you're talking to these days.

…Gosh, I'm beginning to sound like an old woman.

The man was accompanied with a tall man with fish like features, and had a sword. A huge sword, actually.

…Wait, a _sword_? I am positive that I haven't seen him anywhere on the news alerts about people to watch out for…hopefully.

Oh no.

"Huh? Oh, no sorry…I'll be – going now…ehe…" I stammered, intimidated by their hulking presences.

The man smiled unexpectedly. It looked like he wasn't used to doing stuff like that, but it was comforting to know he actually knew how to. He extended his hand. "I'm Itachi, and this is Kisame, my bodyguard."

Whoa. The guy had a freaking _bodyguard._

"Ah, okay. Hi? I'm Sakura. Well…I have to go now. Bye!" I waved hurriedly and raced off. I continued running until I was sure I was at least fifty meters clear of that sword.

Stopping abruptly and holding the stitches on my side, I looked up and groaned. Once again, people, I am lost. Darn it.

Something solid touched my shoulder. I froze, not daring to look back.

"Hey," a voice said.

**A/N: **Oh, who's_that _now? Poor Sakura XD. Getting lost is hard stuff, I can relate.

Let's hear from you! And the only way to do that is to review. So please do!

Thanks for reading!


	4. Getting Slapped and Getting Hungry

**Always Remember Me**

**A/N: **Hi! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and alerted and favorited. It inspires me to write more. I was really ecstatic when I read them, and saw them. They're so touching :P. Carry on, my friends! XD

In this chapter, I'm sorry to all Karin fans or SasuKarin shippers. I apologize to anyone who may be offended. If you like Karin, better skip this chapter…

Thanks for sticking to the story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or its characters, and possibly never will. Also, in the summary, the quote (_'They say memory…'_) belongs to Oscar Wilde in 'The Importance of Being Earnest".

**Summary:** '_Hi! I'm Sakura. I'm a new student at Konoha High…and I have amnesia.'_ They say memory is the diary that we all carry around with us, but what if that diary is taken away? To top it all off, she has a freak going after her. What a life! (AU, SasuSaku)

**Chapter Four: Getting Slapped and Getting Hungry**

"Hey, we've been looking for you for a while now. Where the hell did you run off to?" the voice asked me. It was oddly familiar – the sternness, the depth, the growl hidden in the sentence.

Sasuke.

I turned around and smiled at him sheepishly. He looked a bit annoyed, but that was nothing different.

"Well, I got trampled on – _hard, _mind you – by a horde of _your _fangirls, got lost, got all the living daylights scared out of me, and got lost _again,_" I began to lose my temper. "I mean, how big can this school get, damn it! I still have bruises and-" I looked over at him. Where were Naruto and the others?

"The other guys are looking for you too," he answered my unasked question, "and I'm positive those bruises will heal. I have ointment with me right now, so put it on and let's go find them. This time, try not to get separated from me." He held out a jar of ointment. I gratefully took it.

I feel quite happy, despite the last stinging comment. I do have reason to believe he's not the kind of person to hand out help like candy. After bracingly applying ointment to the bruises, the swelling stopped a bit, and the pain abated a little. Thank God.

"Let's go now," Sasuke grabbed my hand and dragged me with him.

"Okay," I answered, fighting back the urge to pull my hand back. Well, no, his hand feels quite warm and nice actually.

We looked around for any sign of the bubbly blonde or the rest of the motley folk – what? I can't think of anything else to call them! And Cornelia Funke is a genius, I tell you…genius!

My thoughts were stopped as a red haired girl bounded towards us. She was smiling at Sasuke creepily.

Scary woman…

"Hi Sasuke-kun!" she chirped sweetly, leaning closer to him.

He gave her a frosty glare, leaned farther back, and said, "Goodbye." Swiftly, he turned and dragged me in the direction we came from.

"We're going back to the place we came from!" I hissed at him.

"Anything to get away from that madwoman," he muttered under his breath.

"WAIT, Sasuke-kun!" the redhead's voice rang. My God, she was right next to us.

Panting like a dog (I wonder how she does in P.E.), she said, "Wait, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei wants to speak to you, he's in the library."

Looking at Karin suspiciously, he turned to me and said, "Come on then, Sakura."

I'm glad, at least, that he knows my name.

"But you _can't _bring Pinky with you! Kakashi-sensei wants to speak with you _privately,_" she stressed the word 'privately'.

"She has a name, Karin, it's Sakura," he growled angrily.

So _this _is Karin! Life ruiner, rabid fan girler, world renowned first mass woman murderer under the crime of terrorizing innocent girls who just want to talk to Sasuke.

Well, not quite extreme as that, but you get the point.

"Fine, I'll go _privately,_" he copied her. "When I come back, Sakura still better be here."

That sounds…ominous.

He left me alone with Karin. We stared at his retreating figure. When he was gone, Karin turned to me. Think horror-movie where you enter a dark room, and there's someone whose back's turned to you, and then suddenly, before you know it, he's turned around and giving you a scary grin and laughing like crazy and carrying a knife and-

I'll stop now.

It was more or less like that with the redhead, though.

"What were you doing holding _my _Sasuke-kun's hand?" she demanded. But I didn't even notice I was holding his hand. I felt myself blush a little.

"Answer me, Pinky!" she screeched. God, I hate that name.

"Well, I'm _sorry, _I didn't know Sasuke was _your _property. And like _your Sasuke_ said, I have a _name_," I retorted.

I watched, satisfied, as her jaw dropped.

"Who do you think you are to answer back to _me_?" she said mockingly.

"Who do you think you are to live at all?" I answered back.

She raised her hand and deftly slapped me. There was a ringing noise in my ear after she did that.

I slowly raised my hand to the place where she slapped me. I flinched as it stung painfully – she may be stupid, but she damn sure knows how to slap. She was smiling smugly as if she knew how much it hurt.

I glared at her as hard as I could. Bitch.

* * *

Sasuke scanned the library for any sign of his white-haired sensei (in his head a chibi Kakashi waved a fist threateningly and cried "SILVER, DANGIT!").

"Hey Sasuke-san! I haven't seen you around for a while now. I suppose schoolwork's been keeping you away, huh? So," she leaned in and conspiratorially whispered, "do you want those ninja comics you've always come here for? I know you want to keep your addiction a secret, so I've kept them near the borrowing station so you won't be seen."

Sasuke flushed a little when he heard Shizune mention his –ahem- obsession, but quickly regained his composure and said coolly, "No, sorry, Shizune, I'm looking for Kakashi-sensei, have you seen him around?"

Shizune's reply was quick. "Ever since Tsunade-sama banned the Icha Icha books from the library, Kakashi has never been here."

Sasuke frowned and said, "Thank you, Shizune. I think I'll borrow some of those comics first."

She smiled brightly and gestured at him to follow her. "Right!"

_Damn Karin, I can't believe she tricked me. I hope Sakura's all right…why am I even caring?_

* * *

Karin smiled menacingly at me and raised her hand again, getting ready to deliver another stinging slap. I closed my eyes in anticipation for it…

But it never came.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw Karin's hand being stopped by another hand. Turning my head, I saw that the hand was attached to the arm of none other than Tsunade-sama. Thank goodness.

She raised a manicured eyebrow at Karin and said, "I don't think you're allowed to do this kind of thing. I think it's listed under bullying in-"

"-Section 25 Number 12 of the Student Handbook, Deliberate Harm to Fellow Students, where the consequence is the lowering of conduct grade by either two or three levels depending on the magnitude of the event, and calling the parents of the offender for a meeting with the principal. It is also possible to suspend said offender, or in serious cases, expel her from the school." I shot off, unable to help myself.

Tsunade-sama looked at me amusedly and said, "Well, yes, what the young lady said." She looked back arin, "I'll have you know that I have the full authority to do what she just recited word for word from the student handbook."

I flushed a little at her comment.

"I-I, s-sorry Ts-tsunade-sama, I- d-don't c-call my p-parents!" Karin stuttered, even worse than Hinata.

Tsunade gave her a frosty glare and replied, "Right, I'll be keeping tabs on you. Next time you do this, it _won't _be pretty."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," she said respectfully. Then, while Tsunade wasn't looking, she whispered to me, "Nerd," and stalked off.

Tsunade looked at me and gave a friendly smile. "You got to be strong. If you're wimpy, others will just pick on you, just like that bitch." My eyes widened at what she said.

"Anyways, stay out of trouble," she winked and walked away.

I was still stunned by her choice of words, but looking at my watch and listening to my stomach, I'm certain it's time to eat. I'm hungry…

Walking around aimlessly, I stopped in front of a bulletin board and saw the honor roll. Well, maybe reading it will be interesting enough to forget my hunger.

Let's see…

_KONOHA HIGH TOP 10_

_1__ST__ UCHIHA SASUKE _

_2__ND__ HYUUGA NEJI_

_3__RD__ SUBAKU NO GAARA_

_4__TH__ ABURAME SHINO_

_5__TH__ HYUUGA HINATA_

_6__TH__ ROCK LEE_

_7__TH__ TENTEN _(…does she have a last name?)

_8__TH__ NARA SHIKAMARU_

_9__TH__ YAMANAKA INO_

_10__TH__ AKIMICHI CHOUJI_

I looked at the familiar names and grinned. So Sasuke was top here, huh? We'll see about that, when I'm done with him!

Turning around and feeling satisfied, I started walking, my hunger ebbing away. I caught sight of a man with brown hair.

It couldn't be…

"Iruka-sensei?" I cried. He turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Sakura! I didn't expect to see you."

"What are you doing here?" I asked curiously.

"I'm applying for a job here," he grinned at me.

"Oh!" a joyful smile crossed my face. "Well, I hope you get it!"

"Thank you."

We both said our goodbyes and I left him feeling even happier, until I realized Sasuke was still missing. A bit annoyed, I looked up at the heavens and said, "Whoever's listening right now, please make this day better and let Sasuke come here. Now."

A hand clapped on my shoulder after I finshed my prayer. I jumped about a mile into the air.

"SASUKE! You know you don't have to do that!" I exclaimed. Hello? This was like the second time! God!

"You weren't there. What did Karin do?" he ignored my statement. I narrowed my eyes.

"None of your business." He looked a bit irritated. Why did he care so much anyway? I decided to ignore it.

"What did Kakashi want to talk to you about?" I asked him.

He glared at me. "None of _your _business."

Jerk.

…well, I guess I deserved it.

"Are you hungry?" he said abruptly. A soon as he said that, all my previous hunger rushed back into me.

"HECK YEAAH! I'M _STARVING!_" I shouted. He looked amused. I guess rich kids don't get starved a lot. Unless they're anorexic, which I don't think Sasuke is, because he's hot and I think he knows it…

BANISH THESE BAD THOUGHTS!

"Let's go to the cafeteria. We can look for the others after we eat," he said, oblivious to my internal battle.

* * *

"Where the _hell_ is Sasuke and Sakura?" Naruto said, frustrated.

"It's 'Where the hell _are_ Sasuke and Sakura,' _not _is," Neji corrected automatically.

Naruto grinned at him and said, "Okay!"

"Maybe they ditched us," Chouji said forlornly.

A grin suddenly formed on Kiba's face. "You don't think they're-"

"NO! Kiba, you will not corrupt our innocent youthful minds with your unyouthful and vulgar thoughts!" Lee declared.

"Yeah, man, we're about to have _lunch_," Shikamaru drawled.

"Let's just _go_," Shino snapped, which was most OOC of him, which was why everyone stared.

"No! Friendship forever! We _always _eat lunch together _always_!" Naruto shouted.

_Grrrrrr, _went Naruto's stomach. They winced at the sound.

"Dude, that was like, so _loud._"

"It is not supposed to be humanly possible, but that sound can be heard all the way to beyond our galaxy."

"See?"

"That was most unyouthful."

"No comment."

"FOOOD."

"…All right, let's go eat now." Naruto jauntily headed for the cafeteria. They rolled their eyes and followed him.

* * *

"Worthless _fools! _What has become of you, Kabuto? Sakon and Ukon were unsuccessful as well! What is this?" Orochimaru spat.

Kabuto cowered underneath his wrath. "They got the wrong school, Orochimaru-sama."

"If I will _ever _want to do what I want to accomplish, I need that formula!" Orochimaru's eyes widened in rage. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE, KABUTO?"

"No! But-but there's one last school left-" Kabuto faltered under his master's gaze.

"Well?" Orochimaru glared.

"There's still Konoha High."

"Then go! But your time…your time is running out."

**A/N: **Oro's on the trail! I'm going to lay off on the evilness for a while, and try to build it up gradually, so please bear with me!

I love how Sakura memorizes the entire handbook. I could probably add it somewhere…XD.

Can you guess who said what during Naruto's growling episode?

Once again, review! Thanks!


	5. Meeting Rin

**Always Remember Me**

**A/N:** Much LOVE to all those who reviewed, faved, and put me on their alerts! I hope this chapter is good enough for you…

REVIEW!!!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or its characters, and possibly never will. Also, in the summary, the quote (_'They say memory…'_) belongs to Oscar Wilde in 'The Importance of Being Earnest".

**Summary:** '_Hi! I'm Sakura. I'm a new student at Konoha High…and I have amnesia.'_ They say memory is the diary that we all carry around with us, but what if that diary is taken away? To top it all off, she has a freak going after her. What a life! (AU, SasuSaku)

**Chapter Five: Meeting Rin**

The cafeteria isn't as packed today as it usually is. It's probably something to do with them going home for the weekend. Well, that's a bummer…

I wonder what's for lunch today.

"Hey there, new girl."

I twitched a little at the name and whipped around. The girl, definitely older than me, had straight brown hair. She grinned and waved.

I wanted to screw politeness right there and then, but I didn't.

"Hi, I'm Sakura, and you are?"

"Rin. First day here?" she asked.

"Nope, actually it's my second," I answered. She looked amused at my answer.

I got a look at her arm. It had a tattoo slithering up its length.

She caught me looking and grinned again. "Like it? I got it six months ago." She extended her arm to me, beckoning me to look.

Sasuke forgotten, I stared at it. It was beautiful in a way. Thorns and chains ending in two joined snakes at her hand, and the word "ORO" inscribed underneath. Oro is supposed to mean gold, isn't it?

I was completely mesmerized by the complex arrangement of the tattoo. I threw away any misgivings I had about her.

"SAKURA-CHAN, DATTEBAYO!" Naruto's loud voice streaked through the silence.

I tore my gaze away from the tattoo to look at the blond. He was running towards me with the rest of the guys.

I had to hide a smile. You don't see a running pack of boys with a shouting one at the lead everyday.

"Looks like your friends are here," Rin commented. She looked a bit disgruntled. "Anyway, see you around."

"Sakura, where's Sasuke?" Chouji asked when they reached me.

"Huh?" I furrowed my brows. Sasuke, Sasuke - "Oh! I completely forgot about Sasuke!" I mentally slapped myself. The tattoos had totally grabbed my attention.

"Well, never mind. He'll show his face sooner or later…" Naruto grumbled. And so did his stomach.

We all shot disgusted looks at him.

"I'm shamed to be with you," Neji sniffed.

Kiba looked disconcerted at the noise. "Well, let's eat then. I don't want to hear any more of _that._"

We hurried towards an empty table and sat down on it seconds before someone was able to. The best part about a half-empty cafeteria was that you get to get the best seats that were normally taken by the early-risers. Hell yeah! Score!

After we'd all gotten comfy, Naruto cleared his throat and gave me his best puppy-dog eyes.

"We're _really_ sorry we left you behind! But we actually didn't, because of the fan girls! But we still left you lost, so whatever! But-"

"Shut up. I can see why Sasuke calls you dobe now. So troublesome." Three guesses who that was.

Naruto glared at Shikamaru (what? You didn't get it? Whoa…) "_Anyway. _We…got separated from you because…"

"_SASUKE-KUUUUUUN!!" thousands upon thousands of fan girls were screeching._

"_Oh, dang. Time to run, guys," Kiba called._

"_To the restrooms! I don't think they're maniac enough to go to the male's!" Shino, whose mad leadership skills had suddenly surfaced due to times of great need, declared._

_They all pointed towards the restroom and charged, looking like complete idiots but who cared?_

_Once in the safety of the restrooms, Naruto bravely poked his head out and saw the fangirls chasing an innocent by-stander, who was wearing blue, thinking it was their one and only beloved Sasuke-kun. They were but a dust cloud in the distance._

"_The coast is clear, guys! Sasuke fan girls out of the vicinity!" Naruto trumpeted._

_They all breathed a sigh of relief. "Good call there, Shino."_

_Shino didn't answer. Naturally._

_Lee suddenly burst out, "THAT WAS SUCH A YOUTHFUL RUN! I WANT TO DO IT OVER AGAIN! THE ADRENALINE IS RUSHING THROUGH MY VEINS!" _

_They slowly edged away from the never-exhausted lad, but he harped on anyway._

"_WHAT DO YOU THINK, NEJI? WASN'T IT SO AMAZINGLY YOUTHFUL?"_

_All the boys gave Neji a save-us look. Even Sasuke. _

_Neji raised an aristocratic eyebrow at Lee. He decided to go for the safe answer._

"…_Hn." _

"_Guys," Naruto began, trying to avoid another Lee-episode. They turned to him. "Where's Sakura-chan?" _

_It seemed Lee wasn't finished, though. He adopted a thinking pose, and then gave them a horribly horrified face. "Maybe…" he lowered his voice. "Maybe…she was crushed under the weight of the unyouthful fan girls of the youthful Sasuke!"_

_Some of the guys gasped theatrically. _

"_Or maybe, our youthful cherry blossom got lost and is now walking around, with nowhere to go, possibly lost, when suddenly an unyouthful man jumps up in front of her and-"_

"_Lee. Shut up."_

"_It's all your fault…" Naruto scrutinized the faces around him, randomly choosing a face to find fault in. He stopped at Sasuke's._

"_It's all your fault, TEME!"_

_They all rolled their eyes. "Don't start now, Naruto. You actually seemed smart shutting your trap the past ten minutes." _

_Shikamaru sensed a troublesome fight coming up, so he quickly said, "How's about let's go look for her instead, eh?"_

"_Fine."_

"_Whatever."_

"_Hn."_

"_I'm hungry."_

"_Shikamaru, you are full of youth!"_

"_All right."_

"_Yeah."_

"Uh-huh. And that's what happened," ended Shikamaru.

"You certainly had a journey," I commented. They all nodded vigorously.

"You guys, it's teme! YO, TEME! OVER HERE!" Naruto waved towards him, standing up. The people around us gave him looks.

I pulled him down and hissed, "Naruto! You're making us all look bad."

Naruto pouted at me as Sasuke sat in between us. He greeted everyone with his customary growl.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" Kiba asked.

"Fangirls…" he muttered moodily.

We all gave him knowing looks.

"It's such a good thing I don't have fangirls. So troublesome," Shikamaru said.

"Well, I want," Naruto piped up.

"No one's gonna fangirl _you_," Chouji said.

He glared at him and looked at me. "Sakura-chan! They're being meeeaaan!" I laughed and patted his head. After some light banter, the conversation steered towards homework.

"Right. History is about…is about…" Naruto's brows furrowed, trying to remember what the assignment was. Geez, hadn't he done it already?

I took a deep breath and started. "Essay composition about the life, battles, and downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte. Printed, indented, black ink, 1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman, size 12, due next Friday. For extra points, include a picture, preferably colored."

I was met with blank stares.

"WOW! THAT WAS SO YOUTHFUL!"Lee exclaimed.

"I agree with Lee, dattebayo!" Naruto said.

We then stood and left, walking aimlessly and talking about random stuff. I felt so at ease with them, I didn't need to reach for my stone at all.

Speaking of my stone…

I dug into my pocket which felt strangely empty. My eyes widened. No – no, anything but my stone!

I turned my pocket inside out, and checked the other one. It still wasn't there. The only thing I had left of my past. Gone.

I turned possibilities in my mind. Why would anyone want to steal a stone? That had a low chance of happening. The most logical thing that could happen was that it fell out of my pocket while I was walking around.

Damn it!

My panicked expression was enough to catch my escorts' attention.

"Eh? What's wrong, my youthful Sakura?" Lee asked.

"You lost something," Shino stated. It wasn't a question. I guess my actions were obvious. I nodded mechanically anyway.

"What are you looking for?" Chouji asked as they followed me back to the cafeteria. For a moment I couldn't say anything, shocked at the loss of such a precious possession.

"A…stone. I'm looking for a stone," I said, swooping under a table, hoping to find it, but only finding gum.

I sank into a bench and buried my face in my hands. This couldn't be happening.

"We can help. What does it look like?" Shikamaru asked me directly.

"It looks…blue, I guess. And it's smooth," I added.

Sasuke immediately took charge. "Sakura, check the dorms. You won't get lost there. We will check the other places." He turned to everyone else. "Understand?"

"Thanks guys. I'm sorry I'm bothering you with something so trivial," I mumbled.

"I can tell it is something important to you," Sasuke replied. "Now let's go."

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Naruto and Kiba mock-saluted Sasuke.

"Meet back here in one hour," Neji added. We parted ways, looking for my stone. I have such amazing friends.

* * *

"Did you find it?" I asked Shino and Kiba mutedly, a little disheartened at my unsuccessful search.

"Sorry, we didn't find it," Kiba said.

"It's not around the cafeteria," Shino replied.

I sighed, "Chouji and Shikamaru weren't able to find it either."

Not long after that, I caught sight of Lee and Neji. The look on their faces told me they hadn't found anything either.

"I am sorry, my dear youthful cherry blossom," Lee looked at me gravely. "For my failure I shall be sure to do 1000 push-ups."

"No! That's fine, it's okay, Sasuke and Naruto aren't here yet anyway, they may have found it," I said, partly to convince him, and partly to control the growing dread in me.

Time crawled on, slow as a turtle. I found myself counting minutes…seconds…Naruto!

"Did – did you find it?" I asked hurriedly, running up to them.

Naruto gave me a pained look and hung his head. "We didn't…we're really, really sorry Sakura-chan."

"Oh…I see…"

"Sorry," Sasuke muttered. I tried to force a smile.

"It's _fine, _guys! I'm really sorry I wasted your time! I better get going now…homework and all!" Turning away from their pitying looks, I tried to fight the massive lump in my throat, trying not to cry. I didn't want to make them feel bad.

I guess…it's gone now. The only thing that really mattered.

* * *

"Hi Sakura! How was your weekend with the guys?" Tenten asked me cheerfully.

"It was…okay, I guess." I had decided against telling them about the lost stone. It would make thing worse if they thought I was a moping whiner.

"Well, _I _had the time of my life. The mall over at fifth street had a huge sale, and I found this amazing shirt. Then, there were these skinny jeans that I couldn't _wait _to try on and-" I tuned Ino's rambling out. When she finally stopped for breath, Hinata cut in,

"Y-you m-must have been r-really tired after th-that."

"No, not really. After that, I went to this _other _mall on _third _street and I got a-"

"YES! We get it Ino! You went on a shopping spree yesterday, and we're gonna be late _today._" Tenten interrupted. Ino glared at her playfully and we headed off to Chemistry.

* * *

"Right, kids," Anko-sensei began, "Today we're going to choose your new partners for this semester!" She jiggled a jar with little papers in it.

"New lab partners?" I asked.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! We get new ones every semester! Last time, I was paired with Hinata!" Naruto said really loudly.

"Uzumaki! Keep it down!" Anko-sensei grabbed a sharp pencil and threw it at Naruto, missing him by a millimeter. Tenten "ooh"ed at sensei's show of marksmanship and hurried over to look at the damage. Nobody else looked surprised, though. I should think this was common in the class.

I glanced at Naruto and saw him trembling. The pencil was quivering, its point embedded in the wall. That pencil is _really _sharp…

"Right. Our first pair is…" Anko dug into the jar and pulled out two papers.

"Uzumaki Naruto and…" she began.

"Please no. Please, lord, no," Naruto prayed.

Anko looked at the other paper and grinned ferally.

"…Yamanaka Ino."

"NOOOOOOOOO! OH WHAT KIND OF CRUEL FATE DOES THE WORLD HAND TO ME!" Naruto wailed. Neji gave him a dirty look for desecrating 'his' fate.

A sharp 'ping' was heard as another sharp pencil sailed across the room to join the other one, missing Naruto by a hair's breadth.

Scary teachers do teach here at Konoha High.

"Rock Lee and Nara Shikamaru."

"Hyuuga Neji and Akimichi Chouji."

"Tenten and Inuzuka Kiba."

"Gaara and Hyuuga Hinata."

The only ones left were Sasuke, myself, Shino, and…Karin. I don't want to be partners with her. If there's anyone listening right now, please grant my prayer. I already have my own problems.

"Kaimi Sakura and…"

**A/N: **I hope it's not boring or suckish…is it? (The title is. I hurried it, it was a last-minute thing...)

Poor Naruto. By the way, the partners do not suggest any pairings at all. Just wanted to clarify that…

Will Sakura ever find her stone?

Thanks for reading! Please review…


	6. Lab Partners

**Always Remember Me  
**

**A/N: **Hii! I'm sorry this was updated so late – more than a week, le gasp! Anyway, thanks for all the usuals. Hopefully, this chappie is up to scratch.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or its characters, and possibly never will. Also, in the summary, the quote (_'They say memory…'_) belongs to Oscar Wilde in 'The Importance of Being Earnest".

**Summary:** '_Hi! I'm Sakura. I'm a new student at Konoha High…and I have amnesia.'_ They say memory is the diary that we all carry around with us, but what if that diary is taken away? To top it all off, she has a freak going after her. What a life! (AU, SasuSaku)

**Chapter Six: Lab Partners**

"Kaimi Sakura and…" Anko-sensei let her voice trail off as she reached into the jar of _doom. _

_Anyone but her. Please, God. I've been good. Even Shino will be all right, _I prayed silently, making furtive motions as I did so. Stares were directed towards me. I flushed a little and went back to my silent praying.

"And…" Anko repeated, trying to build up the suspense.

"And…"

"OH, JUST GET ON WITH IT!" I burst out. There were a few snickers and Anko raised her eyebrow at me, but continued anyway.

"And…Uchiha Sasuke."

I LOVE MY LIFE!

"Just kidding! It's Karin!" she chuckled, smiling 'benevolently' at me and Karin.

I froze in my seat, and I was sure Karin did too. Was she _serious_? I was _this close _to pulling a Naruto on Anko-sensei, when:

"Like, ohemgee. You can't put me with that _ugly bitch_," Karin spat, and pointed a perfectly manicured finger at me. I wanted to tear that finger off. "I'd rather be with Sasuke-kun." She batted her eyelashes at Sasuke. He discreetly scooted away.

"I'm sure you're glad you're not the only ugly bitch here," I retorted, narrowing my eyes at her. Her eyes flashed angrily at my comment, and it was all we could do not to gouge each other's eyes out that very moment.

Anko-sensei seemed to notice the tension between us, and began to recite Teacher's Encouragement Speech number 4.

"Well, Karin, Sakura, the purpose of this partner work is to improve camaraderie that will further evolve your social skills. It is essential that you learn this, for once you step out of this school's gates, you will meet many people who have various personalities and if you are not well-prepared, you will not succeed in your field."

We silently seethed after her extravagant explanation. She frowned at this, and added,

"In other words, girls, _live with it._" Anko turned back to the class and finished up on the partnering. "And of course, Uchiha Sasuke and Aburame Shino will be the last group."

_RRRRRRING! _Oh sweet bell!

"Right. Class dismissed."

The class stood up as one and raced to be the first out the door. I sullenly joined Ino, Tenten, and Hinata by the lockers. Their faces had varying degrees of pity.

Hinata rushed towards me and gave me a big hug after seeing my sulky expression. Well, better than not getting any sympathy at all, I guess.

Tenten had the face of one attending a funeral. "I'm sorry you're partners with Karin - well, she's quite…all right…I mean, she's _not _all right, but-" she sounded frustrated, trying to find the right words to comfort me.

"It's even worse than being partners with Naruto!" Ino flailed her hands around. Okay, that just made me feel worse. We all gave her dirty looks.

"Thanks a _lot_, Ino," I snapped.

"Anyway, this ought to make you feel better." Tenten fished in her pocket and then held out four bracelets with three charms on each one. "Hinata and I found this store that had charm bracelets and we thought we'd get all of us one of them."

She distributed the bracelets to us. I examined mine closely. It had a cute panda, a smiling sun, and a sleeping pig. I wonder what that's about…

"Eh…Sakura, can I see yours?" Ino asked. I handed it to her wordlessly. She looked at it, and started sputtering gibberish before half-shouting,

"What the _hell_? How can _I _be a pig? How _dare_ you insult the most beautiful woman in the world?" Ino demanded, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the _school_," Tenten snickered.

"Y-your n-name m-means pig, Ino-chan," Hinata smiled at her. Ino glared at her playfully.

"Each charm represents each one of us, see? Hinata's a sun, Ino's a pig-" at this Ino glowered again, "I'm a panda, and Sakura, you're a sakura! A cherry blossom," Tenten grinned. "This way, when you wear it, you'll remember you have friends who'll help you no matter what!"

"Oh, thanks guys," I said, trying to force a smile. The bracelets reminded me of the stone that I received from my _other _friend…lost and gone.

"You could've at least put more life into your thank you, Sakura!" Tenten teased jovially.

But Hinata seemed to notice. "S-sakura-chan? Is s-something t-the m-matter?" I looked at her. Hinata's white eyes were kind and concerned, and mirrored the others' expression. Maybe I should tell them…

And maybe I shouldn't. They were probably going to call me delusional if I told them I was going emo over a stone.

"Never mind me," I smiled tightly, "Let's go eat lunch! I'm hungry…I wonder what's to eat today…" They still looked unconvinced but followed nonetheless.

Sitting at a table as soon as we got out food, I looked at the selection today. Bacon, eggs, rice, and a chocolate brownie for dessert – delicious, but I couldn't find the correct kind of ecstatic excitement needed for a meal of this caliber. I poked at my food, moving it around my tray.

Ino's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Oi, Sakura, didn't you say you were hungry?"

"Huh? Oh…sorry…" I took a small bite of bacon. Swallowing the tiny morsel took a humongous effort on my part.

Hinata's unusually observant eyes noticed that, too. "A-are you s-sure y-you're –all right?"

"Sakura. This is _chocolate_, your _best friend,_" Tenten said, pointing at the bar of chocolate. "You aren't _eating it. _Have you lost your appetite? Are you sick?" she felt my forehead.

"No, I'm okay…I promise," I said while brushing off her hand.

"You seem depressed."

Well hell yeah I am.

"Were you dumped?" Ino asked suddenly.

"NO, YOU FREAKIN' PIG!" I shouted. Proper response, at least.

"Just asking!" Ino said defensively. Tenten devoured the rest of her chocolate in one gulp, and asked, trying to change the subject,

"Well, anyway, what's your next period?"

"Science" – Ino.

"H-history" – Hinata.

"H.E." – me.

"Hm…none of us have the same subject. I've got English," Tenten made a face. "I have so got to go. I remember one time when I was late for Ibiki's class…and I quote: 'Miss Tenten! Thank you for finally joining our class. State yadda and yadda and blah.' I forgot the rest of his speech." She waved and dashed off.

"Wow. That was fast. I guess I'll get going now, too," Ino stood up and exited the cafeteria. Hinata and I were the only ones left. Feeling bad about how I acted earlier, I decided to make an effort to be sociable.

"Hinata, let's go together. History is just a few doors away from the H.E. room," I said.

"O-okay."

We walked in silence to History, and then I walked by myself to H.E. I went in and sat next to Sasuke in the fifth row. Sneaking a glance at him, I saw he was reading his History book – most likely cramming for our quiz later.

I checked the board and saw a note from Kurenai-sensei: _Class – I'm afraid I can't come today since I have a meeting to attend. Use this period to study or review for your tests. Kakashi-sensei will substitute for me. –Kurenai-sensei._

And obviously, Kakashi-sensei was late.

Taking out my stuff, I started writing feverishly, totally unaware of what was happening around me. Finally, I finished my report, using up half the period. Now, what to do? I was finished studying for all my tests already…I looked around the room. While I was doing my report, Kakashi had entered and had put his feet on the table and started sleeping with his book on his face. What a teacher…

Sasuke was finished with his cramming session. Right now, he was…glaring.

What the heck?

Oh. At Gaara.

"Um. Sasuke?" I asked.

-Insert eerie silence here-

"Hellooo? Saaaasuke?"

-Siiiileeeeeenceee-

"Sasuke! The aliens are coming to get you!"

-Twitch, but no answer-

If they keep this up, their eyeballs are going to pop out. Oh well. I'll just take a nap then. Might as well. Gai-sensei is going to kill us next period. I swear that. If not with his suicidal laps then it's with his crazy eyebrows. He needs a wax, honestly…

* * *

(Sasuke's Point of View)

Damn that Gaara. To hell. If he isn't already in it.

_Entering the H.E. room, I chose a seat on the fifth row. First one there, as always. Other students started pouring in and Kurenai told us about her meeting and wrote a note on the board for the later people._

_Hn. Kakashi. Late again._

_I decided to _review – _not _cram – _for my History quiz. Someone sat down next to me. It was Sakura – she appeared to be working on her report. A lock of her unusually pink hair fell on her face. I had an unnatural urge to push it away. I wonder why…_

_Shoot. I'm going delusional from boredom._

_But still. She is quite pretty._

_No, not just pretty. Beautiful._

_I unconsciously smiled to myself, which was not missed by a certain _someone _who I really want to kill._

_A folded piece of paper hit my desk. I opened it and saw: So the great Uchiha isn't gay after all, huh. How much do you like her? – SNG. __**S**__ubaku __**n**__o __**G**__aara._

_Screw that redhead. I glared at him, and he glared back. Minutes later, I heard Sakura try to call my attention and then give up, opting to fall into a deep sleep…_

(End of Sasuke's Point of View)

* * *

"Hn. Sakura." Sasuke poked me in the arm.

"Hmm? No Ino. I don't like him. Okay I do. But you can't make me say it," I sleep-talked.

"Wake up, Sakura. You'll miss the next period," Sasuke continued poking me. One poke finally made its way to my tickle spot. Immediately, I jolted awake, screeching loudly. The whole class gave me looks.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I whispered out of embarrassment. "Thanks for waking me up, Sasuke," I added, rubbing my side. He raised an eyebrow but replied with his customary hn anyway. What an odd guy.

Odd but still hot.

'_Like who?' _thought Sasuke to himself. _'Damn. This is going to keep bugging me for the rest of the day.'_

* * *

"Bye, guys," I said, my depression returning with a passion as I waved to my retreating friends, going to finish their reports. They were strangely distant. Okay, not strangely. It's probably my fault…

Where is my stone, though? My past…

I got a notebook and started doodling aimlessly, until I reached the shores of Sleep.

* * *

RRRRING!

I slammed my fist on my alarm clock. Stretching, my foot hit something hard. I shifted the blankets to see what it was. Oh! The notebook. I must have left it there when I drifted off to sleep.

On the first page, random things were written, one of which was "Shino is itchy." Weird, ne? I turned the page and looked in horror at what was written.

"Uchiha Sakura."

Oh shoot! What the hell? Ino must have written it there. Yes. Ino. Most definitely. I took deep breaths. It was Ino, but I tore the page off for good measure.

You have to admit, though, it sounds nice…Uchiha Sakura…Sasuke and Sakura.

Damn. I'm screwed.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Yeeeess??" I called. "Who is it?"

"It's Sasuke." Speak of the devil and he shall come! I opened the door. He reached into his pocket and handed me a stone.

The smooth blue stone was familiar to me of course. It was mine.

"This is your stone, isn't it?" he asked me. I felt tears fill my eyes when I saw the stone. I just nodded in response.

"Thanks, Sasuke." Taking it, I gave him a big hug. He awkwardly returned it, turning extremely red.

"N-no problem," he stammered. "Sakura? About that stone, I mean…" I cocked my head and gave him a questioning look. "…Never mind."

I wonder what he was going to say...

"Thanks again, Sasuke!" He departed.

* * *

"Hello? Yeah. Uh huh. Kabuto! Tell the boss I'm moving to phase 2. Yes, I found her, idiot – I'm better than any other agent you can find anyway. What do you mean who do I think I am? I'm Rin, duh, son of a bitch. Hmph. Whatever…yeah, bye, sucker."

**A/N:**Hey, should I change the rating to T or what? What do you guys think?

Thanks for sticking by. Read and Review, Please and Thank you!


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